Re-Bel's public events aim to publicize innovative reform proposals for Belgium's institutional structure and to foster open and well-informed discussion about them. The plan is to have two main public events each year. Upcoming events and information about registration are listed on this page. Past events and material from these events also remain accessible on this page.
Forthcoming events
The next Re-Bel event will be announced here soon.
Past Events
Thursday 22 December 2011 2-6pm: Sixth Re-Bel Public Event
1. Dutch, French, English and other foreign languages in the school curriculum: experiments and policies in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels
Lead piece: Alex Housen (VUB) & Laurence Mettewie (FUNDP)
2. School registration and admission policies: challenges and experiments in Belgium's urban areas
Lead piece: Estelle Cantillon (ULB)
Thursday 9 June 2011 2-6pm: Fifth Re-Bel Public Event
1. Right-wing Flanders, left-wing Wallonia? Is this so? If so, why? And is it a problem?
Speakers: Henk De Smaele (UA), Jérôme Jamin (ULg), Jaak Billiet (K.U.Leuven)
2. Should the obligation to vote be abolished?
Speakers: Pascal Delwit (ULB), Justine Lacroix (ULB), Yves Desmet (De Morgen)
Wednesday 30 March 2011, noon-2.15pm: First Re-Bel Noon Exchange
Reforming the Financing Law: how one tried, why one failed
Speakers: Etienne de Callataÿ (Bank Degroof & FUNDP) & André Decoster (K.U.Leuven)
Fourth Re-Bel public event: Thursday 16 December 2010, 2-6pm, University Foundation
1. Belgium's health care system: Should the communities/regions take it over? Or the sickness funds?
Chaired by François MANIQUET (UCLouvain)
Lead piece by Erik SCHOKKAERT and Carine VAN DE VOORDE (K.U.Leuven)
Comments by David CRAINICH (Université catholique de Lille), Jan DE MAESENEER (UGent), Johan KIPS (K.U.Leuven), Vincent LORANT (UCLouvain)
2. The linguistic territoriality principle: right violation or parity of esteem ?
Chaired by Bea CANTILLON (Universiteit Antwerpen)
Lead piece by Philippe VAN PARIJS (UCLouvain)
Comments by Helder DE SCHUTTER (K.U.Leuven), François GRIN (Université de Genève), Henry TULKENS (UCLouvain), Harry VAN VELTHOVEN & Els WITTE (Hogeschool Gent & VUB)
Both lead pieces are downloadable on the event's page.
Third Re-Bel public event: 3 June 2010
The third Re-Bel public event took place in the afternoon of Thursday 17 December at the University Foundation (Brussels) and focused on two questions: (I) "Educational divergence: Why do pupils perform better in Flemish schools than in Francophone schools?" and (II) "Social federalism: How should social policy competences be allocated in Belgium's multi-level welfare state?". The event's programme remains online. Work is under way for the preparation of two e-books that will include both the lead pieces and critical comments.
Second Re-Bel public event: 17 December 2009
The second Re-Bel public event took place in the afternoon of Thursday 17 December at the University Foundation (Brussels) and hosted lively discussions on two topics: (I) the funding of the Regions and Communities and (II) the federal electoral district. The full programme of the inaugural event remains accessible on the event's webpage. The corresponding Re-Bel e-books and additional comments can be downloaded free of charge:
Towards a more efficient and fair funding of Belgium’s regions?
Electoral engineering for a stalled federation
Inaugural Re-Bel public event: 30 April 2009
The Re-Bel initiative was publicly launched with a full-day event that took place on April 30th 2009 at the University Foundation. We are most grateful to all the speakers for having provided a rich and stimulating input, and to the numerous participants for having contributed to the friendly and fruitful character of the encounter, thereby setting the tone for subsequent events.
The full programme of the inaugural event remains accessible on the event's webpage.
Re-Bel E-books 2 and 3 include revised versions of the presentations at the afternoon session:
Does it make sense to regionalize labour market institutions?
Is democracy viable without a unified public opinion?
Two more e-books on the themes of the morning session, including additional contributions, are being prepared:
What does history teach us about the future of Belgium's institutions? (Bruno De Wever ed.)
What does geography teach us about the future of Belgium's institutions? (Jacques Thisse ed.)
The speech by Steven Vanackere, federal minister for institutional reform and deputy prime minister, can also be downloaded.